National Republican., 1887-12-02
The Virginia Vote.

EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN Last
week the Richmond Dispatch published the
alleged official returns of the vote for mem.
beIs Of the house of delegates at our cleo
tion on the Sth Of the present month, aud
1t then claimed that these returns showed
Democratic majority of 2,615 In the popu.
lar vote OF the state. BY Juggling in the
vote Of five counties for Lee In 1885 where
there were no Democratic candidates for
the house this year, and OF two counties for
Wite in 1885 where there were no Republi
can candidates for the house this year, 1t
further continued to work out an increase
OF the Democratic majority from 2,6lj to
5,527.
The board of state canvassers met at
Richmond day before yesterday, and on
yesterday the Dispatch came out with al
ing on them Democratic majority In the
state OF only 42G; quite tall from the q.
Gl5 Of last week. undismayed, however,
IL repeats its reference TO the vote Of 1885,
es explained above, and ekes out con-
structlVe DemocraLlc muJUriUy uf o,loU,
whereas last week, by similar process, IL
cooked up majority of 5,527.
The amended returns given yesterday By
the Dispatch allow the Republicans major
ities Of only 800 In Nansemond aud 21J IL
TaZeweIl, although these are two Of the
strongest Republican counties iu the state,
wleie the Democrats had no candid ,tes
aud where all the candidates running lin
dependent and REGULAR we're Republicans
II is obvious that III both these counties the
Republicans are cuLitled to the whole vo.e
cast, or at least to their m9jorities OF last
year or year before over Democratic canai
datcf; and taking the smaller OF these ina.
lorities lin 1850 we find they aggregate
l,G1S, as 0gait st the aggregate Of G3S al.
lowed in 10th counties by the present re-.
tuins lIce We have l,0l0 Republican
votee (net) 10 Offset the assumed Demo
cratic state majority OF 1876, aud pat the
Republicans ahead with 5Si majority.
In Bedford, where there was only one
candidate, aud he Democrat, Il Is sou sht
to fob eft the Republicans with rs votes |!
But as The least Republican vote cast there
within the past two years was l,4ji, we
must add that (minus the lis allowed, as
above TO the Republican state majority,
making 1t 1920.
But there are two counties in the returns,
as given by the Dispatch, that cast no Re.
publican votes-Clarke ard Warren; aud
there are five that cast no Democratic
SoLes-Amelia, Grcensville, Nottoway,
vote Of the former is given at 1879, and the
Republican vote Of the latter at 1901 The
DiSpdtch, however, to serve its purpose,
chooses to 90 back to 1855 to supply the
missing votes-it TO have five Democratic To
only two Republican dips into that
reservoir Manifestly, instead OF doing
that, the proper way III We 60 not leave
the returns as they are) is to take the vote
OF 1885 on both sides of all seven OF
the counties in question, and that
stands 5,Gj6 Democratic to 6,3lS Repub.
llcan votes, or Republican majority of 663
But, as the returns of this year allow l,31l
Democratic and 4,00i Republican votes IN
these counties, the reference to 1885 re,
suits in a gain Of 2,3l4 votes for the Re.
publicans, and Of 1884 for the Democrats,
the Democratic net gain being l,970 froli
this deduct the Republican majority OF
1870, as summed up In the preceding
paragraph, aud we have constructive
democratic grand total majority Of 60
| instead Of 3lGO!
In all the foregoing the vote OF 1885 1.
accepted as the basis upon which to correct
all omissions and adjust all differences, vel
| why shall the Dispatch be allowed TO select
that phcnC menally Democratic vote when
| " 1t Is not an agreed fraud, we all know
| that II was not as fair vote as occurs In
| federal elections? Why may not as fairly,
II not more SO, take the congressional vot;
OF last year in Amelia, Clarke, Greensvile
| NOttowNy, Stafford, Sussex, and WaTrent
| do take It Especially as we are all calcu
lating for the federal election of next year.
and thereby ind that instead OF Demo
cratic majority Of 80, calculated on the Lee
vote Of two Years ago, Virginia gives Re
| publican majority OF 91G ON the basis of tn,
| federal election Of 1856.
The D'SPdich does not give the Senate
vote in the nineteen districts ia whicl
elections were held this year. This vote o
itfelf would give iguIes that would put th,
| Republicans ln Glear majority OF tht
| popular vote. But II Ia suppressed TO
awhile for IT will yet be published. Mean
while, by every method OF fair construction
or proper calculation, the Republican
majority in Virginia, on the po Jular vote
Ia CERTAIN; ten out o. the nineteen senators
elect are Republicans; ffty-six OUT Of 0u
ore buudred counties have gone Republl
can; aud The Republicans again carry seven
Of the TIN congressional dlstricts-the first
second, third, fourth, fifth, ninth, and
tenth. Therefore avOu h that Virgins
not only 10 Republican, hut that next veal
che can and will elect til Republican
electoral ticket and seven. II not eight, Re.
publican members Of the House Of Repre-
EertalivCs, W. q. ELAN.
TREWIIAN's, VA, Nov, 80.